Should Avery Johnson Lift Brook Lopez's Restriction?

By John Paolantonio | Dec 16, 2012 | 11:07PM

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The Nets had a game in hand on Saturday night at the United Center in Chicago against the Bulls and let it slip away in the fourth quarter with a horrible final 1:30. The Nets had a six point lead with less than six minutes to play when Avery Johnson took Brook Lopez out of the game because he hit his 24 minute restriction.

Lopez had played about half the game while posting 18 points and 10 rebounds -- nine points and six rebounds more than he posted during the same amount of action in his return to the lineup Friday night after missing seven games because of a sprained right foot.

At that point, Lopez's night should've been over. The game should've been over, too.

Neither was. And, as a result, an encouraging performance by Lopez was overshadowed by what transpired in next 4 minutes, 25 seconds.

Prior to D-Will's buzzer-beater, the Nets had nine possessions, went 0-for-5 from the field and committed three turnovers while being outscored 12-2. They lost, 83-82.

So what exactly does this mean, the fact that Brooklyn squandered a lead with Lopez on the bench? It means that Lopez, as he has been all season, is the Nets' most valuable player. With him in the lineup, Brooklyn is 11-5, including 4-4 against .500 or better teams. Without him in the lineup, Brooklyn is 2-5, 0-5 against .500 or better teams.

"Brooklyn's Backcourt" has shown flashes of brilliance -- Joe Johnson's buzzer-beater on Friday night being the latest -- but for the most part, Johnson and Williams have been disappointments. And who knows if they'll develop any sort of consistency.

Tim Hardaway Jr. scored 13 points and recorded five turnovers and five fouls, as the Knicks lost their third straight preseason game. Kristaps Porzingis scored six points on 2-of-6 shooting, while Willy Hernangomez recorded 17 points and 11 rebounds.

Lin discusses cultural appropriation, Martin's comments on dreadlocks

Oct 6 | 10:12AM

Nets guard Jeremy Lin opened up about his hair style in The Players' Tribune after Kenyon Martin criticized him for having dreadlocks.

Upon seeing Lin's hair style -- which he said was "meant to be fun, and to be an expression of freedom" -- Martin posted a video calling him out for appropriating culture.

"Do I need to remind this damn boy that his last name Lin?" Martin said in the video. "Like, come on man. Let's stop this, man, with these people, man. There is no way possible that he would have made it on one of our teams with that bulls--- goin' on on his head. Come on man, somebody need to tell him, like, 'All right bro, we get it. You wanna be black.' Like, we get it. But the last name is Lin."

Lin responded on Instagram by saying he was "grateful" that Martin felt that way and then noted the fact that Martin has Chinese symbols tattooed on his body. Lin later wrote on The Players' Tribune that he wanted to call for acceptance, peace and empathy.

Nets plan to discuss as team how to handle national anthem

Oct 2 | 8:27PM

The Brooklyn Nets will discuss how they will approach the national anthem this season and plan to act as a unified group.

NBA commissioner Adam Silver said last week he expects players to stand in unity for the national anthem this season, while many NFL players have either kneeled or locked arms as a team during the national anthem in protest of civil rights issues.

"We haven't come out with a statement, but I think our idea is -- however our players approach this -- I want them to be unified," Nets head coach Kenny Atkinson said, according to the New York Post's Brian Lewis. "We want them to follow the NBA rules. That's important to us, and I think our guys understand that."

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Allen Crabbe suffers sprained ankle

Sep 28 | 11:20PM

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After failing to sign him as a restricted free agent last off-season, the Nets have traded for Portland guard Allen Crabbe. (Steve Dykes/AP)

Nets G/F Allen Crabbe suffered a sprained ankle on Wednesday at the end of the team's practice, according to Greg Logan of Newsday.

Nets guard Jeremy Lin has watched as players throughout the NFL and NBA have spoke and protested in unity against the words of President Donald Trump, and he is all for the social action.

Last Friday at a campaign rally in Alabama, after Trump called out NFL players for kneeling down during the national anthem, Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry and some fellow Warriors players essentially said they would not like to attend the White House to celebrate their 2017 NBA title. After seeing this, Trump tweeted that Curry no longer had an invite to visit the president.

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GEICO SportsNite: Nets open training camp at Naval Academy

Sep 27 | 12:26AM

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GEICO SportsNite: Nets open camp00:00:44

The Nets open training camp at the Naval Academy to prepare for the season and Kenny Atkinson explains why the team chose to train there.

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Marks, Atkinson focused on day-to-day development rather than playoffs

Sep 26 | 1:53PM

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(Brett Davis)

The Nets roster is ready to go from worst in the league to playoff contender this season, but GM Sean Marks and head coach Kenny Atkinson are only focused on progress and development.

The Nets' 20-62 record last season was the worst in the NBA. But spirits are high this season after the acquisitions of PG D'Angelo Russell, C Timofey Mozgov, SF DeMarre Carroll, and SG Allen Crabbe to go along with the Nets' first-round C Jarrett Allen.

Atkinson loves his new band of players to work with, but he isn't primarily focused on winning a ring just yet. He needs his players to grow first.

Russell thrilled for new start in Brooklyn

Sep 25 | 7:02PM

Nets G D'Angelo Russell is eager to prove to his new organization that he is capable of leading a team and making players around him better.

"I want this to be home for me," said Russell, via Newsday. "Getting traded and moving, changing your whole environment and situation is not easy. So, I don't want to do that again. The easier and the quicker I can get that relationship with guys, the easier that will be."

On the way out of Los Angeles, President of Basketball Operations Magic Johnson called out Russell for his lack of leadership and his failures as a true point guard.

Russell disagreed with those comments, but has not taken shots at Johnson or the Lakers.

Carroll has dealt with a variety of injuries, including nagging knee, ankle and back issues that forced him to turn in two down seasons in Toronto. The 6'8" veteran forward was supposed to play a key role as a wing or stretch four with the Raptors but was occasionally passed over by Norman Powell and/or other more durable, consistent, younger players.

Nets sign former G League forward Mitchell

Sep 24 | 10:38PM

The Brooklyn Nets signed forward Akil Mitchell on Sunday, the team announced.

Mitchell, a 6-foot-9, 250-pound forward, averaged 8.3 points and 6.8 rebounds in four games for Brooklyn's G League affiliate, the Long Island Nets, last season.

He previously averaged 9.5 points and 7.2 rebounds in 25 games for the Australian National Basketball League's New Zealand Breakers. He played 133 games for the University of Virginia from 2010 to 2014.

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Sarah Kustok ready to make history on Nets broadcasts

Sep 20 | 7:26PM

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(Vincent Carchietta-USA TODAY Sports)

Sarah Kustok will take over the Nets' color commentator role this season, becoming the third woman on regional TV network in the NBA to handle such a role.

In an interview with the New York Post, she said that it's been quite the journey to get where she is today. She previously starred at DePaul before joining ESPN as a sideliner reporter for multiple sports.

Eventually after working in Chicago in a similar role, she came to YES Network to become the team's sideline reporter. After five years in that position, she has taken over the full-time color duties from Mike Fratello.

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GEICO SportsNite: Atkinson on the Nets' backcourt

Sep 20 | 1:25AM

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Atkinson on the Nets' backcourt00:00:40

Nets head coach Kenny Atkinson discusses how both Jeremy Lin and D'Angelo Russell will fit into his plans for the backcourt this season.

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40-year-old Stephon Marbury looking to make NBA comeback

Sep 12 | 2:00PM

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(Noah K. Murray)

Former Nets PG Stephon Marbury is eyeing a return to the NBA, he announced on Tuesday.

Marbury has not played in the NBA since the 2008-09 season. In 2010, he began playing for the Beijing Ducks in the Chinese Basketball Association where he has won three championships. Last season, he averaged 21.4 points, 5.5 assists, and four rebounds per game.

Marbury spent three seasons with the Nets where he averaged 23 points, 8.1 assists, and 1.3 steals in 172 games.

Sep 11 | 8:12PM

Zeller, who averaged 3.5 points and 2.4 rebounds in 51 games last season, is expected to compete behind Timofey Mozgov, according to Wojnarowski.

Zeller's contract is guaranteed for this season but is not guaranteed for the 2018-19 season, according to Wojnarowski.

The 27-year-old center has averaged seven points and 4.4 rebounds in five seasons with the Celtics and Cleveland Cavaliers.

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Timeout with Taylor Rooks: Nets SG Caris LeVert

Aug 31 | 11:30AM

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In the latest episode of Timeout with Taylor Rooks, Nets shooting guard Caris Levert joins the show to discuss his playing days at Michigan, his heightened expectations of this year's team in Brooklyn, and his affinity for teammate Jeremy Lin.

Allen Crabbe working on game while getting accustomed to New York

Aug 25 | 8:14PM

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(Craig Mitchelldyer)

While trying to get used to his new city, Nets SG Allen Crabbe has been working on his game as he prepares for the new season.

Crabbe has only been in New York for about three weeks since he was traded to the Nets by the Porland Trail Blazers, but he is already getting involved as he was part of the Brooklyn Nets Basketball Academy on Thursday. He is becoming to enjoy his new city.

"New York is cool man, I'm glad to be here," Crabbe told Nets.com's Cory Wright. "I'm just getting acclimated with the city, trying to learn my whereabouts and where all the fun stuff is outside of basketball practice and all that."

"We've struggled over the last few years in Brooklyn," Russell said. "Teams are used to coming in and taking nights off. I just want to rebuild that and make it a place where people come and say, 'alright we got the crowd against us. It's New York.'

Nets release 2017-18 schedule

Aug 14 | 6:21PM

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The Brooklyn Nets' bench (Anthony Gruppuso/USA TODAY Sports)

The Brooklyn Nets released their 2017-18 regular-season schedule, which includes opening the season at the Indiana Pacers on Oct. 18 at 7 p.m. and playing their home opener at Barclays Center on Oct. 20 against the Orlando Magic at 7:30 p.m.

Brooklyn will also play two games in Mexico this season, facing the Oklahoma City Thunder on Dec. 7 and the Miami Heat on Dec. 9.

The Nets will have two nationally-televised games, the fewest among all 30 NBA teams, this season, according to Yaya Dubin. Both of their games will be on NBATV.

The Nets will face the defending champion Golden State Warriors at home on Nov. 19 and on the road on March 6. Their home finale is April 9 against the Chicago Bulls and their regular-season finale is April 11 on the road against the Boston Celtics.

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Jarrett Allen ignoring those who say he doesn't love the game

Aug 14 | 1:30PM

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(Brad Penner)

Nets rookie C Jarrett Allen doesn't pay any mind to those who say he doesn't love the game of basketball due to his other hobbies.

Allen was the Nets' first-round pick of the 2017 NBA Draft in June, and the reason he fell to their No. 22 pick was reportedly due to many questioning his dedication to the game.

He put those notions to shame at the NBA rookie photo shoot on Friday.

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Nets to play two games in Mexico this season

Aug 10 | 8:18AM

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Brooklyn Nets head coach Kenny Atkinson coaches against the Atlanta Hawks in the third quarter at Philips Arena. The Nets defeated the Hawks 107-92. (Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports)

The Nets will make a trip to Mexico this year, taking on the Oklahoma City Thunder on Dec. 7 and the Miami Heat on Dec. 9, the league announced Wednesday.

"I've obviously traveled a lot in the basketball world and been to Mexico City twice and know what a great fanbase there is," head coach Kenny Atkninson said following the announcement. "We're honored and playing two good teams. The Mexican fans are going to have a good time watching us play these games.

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Nets sign G Milton Doyle and Jeremy Senglin

Aug 4 | 6:50PM

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(Peter Aiken)

The Nets have announced they signed guards Milton Doyle and Jeremy Senglin who both played on the Nets' summer league team in Las Vegas.

The terms of the deals were not released per team policy, but Basketball Insiders' Michael Scotto says Doyle agreed to a one-year, partially guaranteed deal with the team. Both players went undrafted in the 2017 NBA Draft.

In four games during summer league, Doyle averaged 10.5 points, 3.5 rebounds, and 1.5 assists in 16.3 minutes per game. The 6-foot-4 guard spent four years at Loyola University Chicago where he became the first player in program history to make it on the All-Missouri Valley Conference First Team during his senior season. He averaged 15.2 points in 32.6 minutes last year.

Senglin averaged seven points, 2.3 rebounds, and 0.5 assists in four games in summer league. Playing four season at Trail Blazers PG Damian Lillard's alma mater Weber State, Senglin became the program's all-time leading scorer with 2,078 points. He averaged 16.7 points over his career.

Brooklyn Nets and Barclays Center owner, Russian billionaire Mikhail Prokhorov, received approval from the NBA Finance Committee to split up the two entities as he looks to sell a minority interest in the team, per The Post's Brian Lewis.

First reported by Forbes, Prokhorov wanted to sell a minority stake in the Nets, but keep the Barclays Center under his control last year. However, the NBA denied him the right to do so.

Though he has approval from the Finance Committee, the NBA Board of Governors still needs to give Prokhorov the green light before he is allowed to make a deal with a potential buyer.

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Nets trade PF Andrew Nicholson for Portland G Allen Crabbe

Jul 25 | 7:14PM

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(Craig Mitchelldyer)

The Nets have traded PF Andrew Nicholson to the Trail Blazers for G Allen Crabbe, the team announced on Tuesday.

ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reported that Portland will waive and stretch Nicholson's contract, paying $2.8 million over the next seven years.

The Nets were interested in signing Crabbe last season. However, the Blazers matched their four-year,$75 million offer sheet. Because of the offer sheet, both sides had to wait a year before executing the deal.

Jul 24 | 8:28AM

The Nets are interested in Jared Sullinger and are watching his games in The Basketball Tournament at LIU Brooklyn, reports ESPN's Fran Fraschilla.

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Nets sign G Yakuba Ouattara to two-way contract

Jul 21 | 4:36PM

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(Joe Camporeale)

The Nets have announced they signed international G Yakuba Ouattara to a two-way contract.

Ouattara spent the 2016-17 season playing for AS Monaco Basket of the French LNB Pro A league. He averaged 11.8 points, 3.3 rebounds, and 0.9 assists in 23.4 minutes per game. He can knock down the three-ball as well, shooting 40.0 percent from the perimeter.

The 6-foot-3, 185 pound guard has been a member of the French national team being that his native Ghana doesn't have a team of their own.

At 25, Ouattara has played in the French league since 2012.

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Nets sign 22nd overall pick Jarrett Allen

Jul 20 | 6:53PM

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Jarrett Allen (Brad Penner (USA Today))

The Nets have signed first-round pick Jarrett Allen to a multi-year contract, the team announced on Thursday. The details of the contract have not been released.

Allen, 19, was the Nets' 22nd overall pick in the 2017 NBA Draft.

In his one season at the University of Texas, Allen averaged 13.4 points, 8.4 rebounds, and 1.5 blocks per game in 33 games. He had 12 double-doubles on the season and is fourth in school history with 278 total rebounds by a freshman.

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DeMarre Carroll excited to reunite with Kenny Atkinson in Brooklyn

Jul 19 | 9:16AM

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(Kevin Sousa)

The Nets' newest acquisition SF DeMarre Carroll calls his move to Brooklyn a "reunion" as he reunites with head coach Kenny Atkinson.

In his first interview with the media, Carroll expressed his excitement to join the Nets relating the move to a kid coming home to his family after being away at college.

"Yeah man, it's a reunion," Carroll told The Post's Brian Lewis. "It's basically like going off to college and coming back to your family. I feel like it's my family. This is where I belong, and where I'm comfortable at."

New York Sports today: Nets reportedly interested in JaMychal Green

By Robert Coles | Jul 13 | 9:36AM

Elsewhere, the Knicks are near a deal with the Rockets involving Carmelo Anthony,Bryce Harper says that New York is too hectic of a city for him and Amed Rosario went 0-for-4 in the Triple-A All-Star Game

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NBA cuts down on timeouts to improve pace of game

Jul 13 | 8:07AM

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NBA commissioner Adam Silver speaks at a press conference prior to the game with the San Antonio Spurs playing against the Phoenix Suns during the NBA game at the Mexico City Arena. (Jos&#195;&#169; M&#195;&#169;ndez )

The NBA has accepted recommendations from the competition committee to improve the speed of the game, the league announced Wednesday.

Chief among them is that teams will now only have two timeouts over the final three minutes of the game instead of three timeouts over the final two minutes. The maximum number of timeouts has been reduced to 14 per game, while the 20-second timeout has been eliminated, as each timeout will last 75 seconds. In overtime, teams will be limited to two timeouts.

Kentavious Caldwell-Pope signs with the Lakers

Jul 12 | 2:27PM

The Nets reportedly had "over 50 percent" chance to land pope, the NY Post's Brian Lewis reported on Tuesday.

With the Wizards matching the Nets' offer to Otto Porter, Jr., Caldwell-Pope was the team's next-best option still on the open market. The Nets will have $16.5 million in cap space to spend once Porter Jr. is off their books, and they could release or deal away other players to create more if needed.

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New York Sports Today: Nets acquire Carroll

By Ethan Felderstein | Jul 10 | 9:46AM

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DeMarre Carroll is the newest member of the Nets following a trade. (Chris Young/AP )

The Nets acquired forward DeMarre Carroll and two draft picks from the Raptors in exchange for center Justin Hamilton.

Elsewhere, the Mets are shutout, the Yankees drop their first-half finale, the former Cavaliers general manager drops out of Knicks search and a pair of Yankees prepare for the Home Run Derby.

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Nets acquire Carroll, picks from Raptors for Hamilton

Jul 10 | 9:01AM

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Toronto Raptors forward DeMarre Carroll shoots around Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo during the first quarter in game four of the first round of the 2017 NBA Playoffs at BMO Harris Bradley Center. (Jeff Hanisch/USA TODAY Sports)

The Brooklyn Nets acquired forward DeMarre Carroll and two draft picks from the Toronto Raptors in exchange for center Justin Hamilton, according to the Associated Press.

Carroll, 30, has two years and $30 million remaining on his deal, which allows the Raptors to clear enough cap space to make room for Kyle Lowry's three-year, $100 million deal, according to the AP.

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Nets include trade kicker, player option in $106M offer sheet for Otto Porter

On Tuesday, the Nets had reportedly agreed with Porter on a four-year, $106 million contract, according to the Vertical, citing sources.

According to ESPN, the Kings had offered Porter a four-year, $106.5 million contract. The Wizards were previously expected to match any offer he receives.

Porter had a breakout season in 2016-17, as he averaged a career-high 13.4 points and 6.4 rebounds per game while shooting 52 percent from the field and 43 percent from 3-point land. The Wizards reached the Eastern Conference Semifinals before losing to the Celtics in seven games.

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Nets have 500/1 odds to win 2018 NBA title

Jul 6 | 12:10PM

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(Joe Camporeale)

The Nets current odds to win the 2018 NBA championship is set at 500/1, per Bovada LV.

They are tied with the Magic, Suns and Kings for having the worst odds in the NBA. The closest to the Nets in the Atlantic Division is the Knicks, who have 150/1 odds.

Focusing on the division, the Celtics have the fourth-best odds to win the title at 14/1 while the Raptors and 76ers are set at 50/1 and 66/1 respectively.

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New York Sports Today: Nets sign Otto Porter Jr.

By Robert Coles | Jul 5 | 10:01AM

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The Nets have inked Otto Porter to a four-year $106 million deal. (Charles Krupa)

The Nets signed restricted free-agent Otto Porter Jr. to a four year contract on Tuesday, the Wizards will have three days to match the offer sheet.

Elsewhere, the Mets lost to the Nationals, the Knicks have interest in free-agent Dion Waiters, Ilya Kovulchuck will remain in the KHL, and the the Yankees drop a game to the Blue Jays.

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Nets announce 2017 Summer League roster

Jul 3 | 12:58PM

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(Greg M. Cooper)

The Nets have officially announced their 2017 Summer League roster.

The team will be traveling to Las Vegas for the third straight year with head coach Kenny Atkinson coaching the team for his second consecutive year.

Current Nets G Isaiah Whitehead, G/F Caris Lavert, F Rondae Hollis-Jefferson, G Archie Goodwin, and G Spencer Dinwiddie are set to play as well as first-round pick C Jarrett Allen.

The Nets will take on the Atlanta Hawks in their first game on July 7.